UNC Health’s Guiding Principles for COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
UNC Health expects to receive our initial supply of COVID-19 vaccine in the next few days. If we do not have enough vaccine initially for all co-workers who choose to receive it, we plan to use the following guiding principles and a phased approach to guide vaccine distribution:
- Follow recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which makes recommendations based on input and ethical principles from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a federal advisory committee made up of medical and public health experts who develop recommendations on the use of vaccines.
- Follow North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) guidelines for statewide vaccine distribution, which are informed by CDC recommendations.
Based on the recommendations from the CDC, ACIP and NC DHHS, the guidelines UNC Health will use for each phase are listed below:
We are working with leaders at each UNC Health entity to identify the healthcare personnel in each phase. Based on consults with our Ethics Committee, our Health Equity team, and many other clinical and operational leaders, our recommendation is to apply objective metrics consistently across all job roles to identify who falls into each phase.
For phase 1A, we are using physical location of workplace (units with known COVID+ patients or high risk of “surprise”/unknown COVID patients) as well as involvement with higher risk exposures. Every person who physically works in these locations will have the same opportunity to schedule a vaccine. We will not make distinctions between job types (such as nursing, Environmental Services staff or providers).
Process to Receive the COVID-19 Vaccine
We will follow the process below when your phase is identified to receive the COVID-19 vaccine:
- All UNC Health healthcare personnel identified in each phase will first receive a message in English and Spanish from UNC Health’s “COVID-19 News” mailbox (covid-19@unchealth.unc.edu) listing the steps required to receive a vaccine.
- Data for all healthcare personnel in each phase will be uploaded to the NC DHHS COVID-19 Vaccine Management System (CVMS) by UNC Health’s Information Service Division.
- The state will process the data and send you an email from NC DHHS from ‘Vaccine Management System (nccvms@dhhs.nc.gov)’ with the subject line of ‘Thank you for Signing up’ – see a screenshot of a sample message.
- If you choose to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, you must follow the link in the NC DHHS email to:
- Enroll into the NC DHHS COVID-19 Vaccine Management System
- Complete a COVID-19 Vaccine Questionnaire
- Sign a consent form to receive the COVID-19 vaccine
If you have trouble completing these steps, please contact your manager for assistance. In the near future, we hope to offer a central phone line to contact for help with this process.
Once the three steps above are completed, you will receive an eligibility confirmation email from NC DHHS.
- When COVID-19 Vaccine is available at UNC Health, we will share that information widely on our COVID-19 Vaccine Hub (https://yourshot.health), the Intranet and by email. We will share more details about how to schedule your COVID-19 vaccination appointment in the coming days. While we recommend everyone receive a vaccination, we must maintain normal operations:
o Co-Workers: As with any appointment, please speak with your manager before scheduling your COVID-19 vaccination.
o Medical Staff Members: Please review your schedule before scheduling your vaccination appointment.
Please continue to visit https://yourshot.health for the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines, and contact us at covid-19@unchealth.unc.edu with any questions.
UNC Medical Center Vaccine Virtual Town Hall – Dec. 14
As we continue preparation for distribution and administration of COVID-19 vaccines, we know that you have questions about what these efforts will look like at UNC Medical Center. To help answer these questions, we would like to invite you to join us for a virtual Town Hall on Monday, Dec. 14 from 2-3 p.m. Leaders from across UNC Medical Center will present on topics related to local logistics and planning for vaccine distribution, and will be answering your questions.
- Please submit your questions in advance at covid-19@unchealth.unc.edu
- Want to know more about UNC Health’s vaccination plans? Review the COVID-19 FAQs.
Use this YouTube link to watch a livestream of the event on any device. The Town Hall will also be recorded and shared for those who are not able to attend live.